


The Fairy Tale Seems to Have Just Died

by Haruka_1224



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: F/F, Psycho Pass AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-10 14:58:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12301581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haruka_1224/pseuds/Haruka_1224
Summary: Auradon is an authoritarian dystopia run by the Sibyl System, where omnipresent scanners constantly watch over and evaluate their citizens. This data reflects in what is called a Psycho-Pass, which determines the likelihood of a person committing a crime. Those judged "latent criminals" by Sibyl are hunted down by the Public Safety Bureau, using specialized guns called Dominators, whose bullets differ based on Sibyl's judgment. Latent criminals judged as nonredeemable are incarcerated for life.New Inspector Benjamin Florian enters the PSB filled with naive optimism, but his world is immediately turned upside down. His Enforcers - latent criminals used as hunting dogs - are children, just like he is, and as he spends time around Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos, he slowly begins to question what really makes a latent criminal.A PsychoPass AU, AKA combining a psychological thriller with a Disney movie just because I can.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an adventure story than a romance one, sorry if I disappoint! While Malvie is going to happen, it is likely to be about as subtle as Yayoi and Shion in Psycho Pass season 1, and only if I continue the story (oops).  
> Regarding surnames: Jay’s is from the actor for Jafar in Descendants, Maz Jobrani; Ben’s is from Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the French author who published the abridged version of Beauty and the Beast; Belle’s is from Linda Woolverton, who wrote the screenplay for the 1991 animated film; Aurora's (and Audrey’s) come from French author Charles Perrault, who wrote Sleeping Beauty.  
> The title is from the ending song of Psycho Pass, "Nameless Monster" by EGOIST.

_That which needs to be done is carried out by those most capable of doing it. Such is the grace bestowed upon mankind by Sibyl._

All our lives, this message has been drilled into our heads, encouraging us to embrace the micro-managing of the Sibyl System, to believe that it knows best what will make us happy. Sibyl knows us better than we know ourselves, because it isn’t marred by emotion or self-doubt and has no fear of human error. Sibyl has created a world completely free from error, a utopia where everyone can live without fear.

With Sibyl’s help, the last three generations in Auradon have prospered, living easy lives as they do not need to worry about finding themselves or figuring out what they would like to do. Sibyl does it for them, choosing the job that they would do best in and feel happiest with, getting rid of a lot of pointless confusion.

Another thing the Sibyl System is capable of doing is watching over us all, policing our thoughts and measuring them in two distinct scales - the Hue, which is color based, and the Crime Coefficient, which is a simple number. Using this state of the art psychological monitoring system, Sibyl can identify potential criminals before the crime is committed, so they can get help and calm down without hurting anyone.

Keeping the peace is the job of the Public Safety Bureau, a prestigious organization that Sibyl rarely judges anyone suitable for. It is said that there are around three potential candidates with every cohort in Auradon, which puts the number at less than 0.5 percent of the population. Those accepted into the Bureau are called Inspectors, and they go around catching criminals and wrangling those with high Crime Coefficients to submission.

A certain section of them preside over the world’s most dangerous prison, an offshore island known as the Isle of the Lost. Those who have attended therapy but fail to lower their Crime Coefficients for more than a year are sent here, and live in the top floor of the prison. They will be released should their Psycho Pass improve, but as of now, sentences to the Isle are for life. The truly dangerous, convicted criminals live underground, separated from the other prisoners to prevent their extremely cloudy Psycho Pass from infecting others.

While it may seem harsh to imprison people who have yet to commit a crime, Auradon trusts Sibyl to be infallible, and if it truly judges a person a latent criminal with no ability to be saved, society will not question its judgment. After all, should a latent criminal be redeemable, Sibyl would reflect it by improving their Psycho Pass, reading into their hearts and seeing the true goodness inside.

My name is Benjamin Florian de Beaumont, and I am the son of one of the Public Safety Bureau’s most famous Inspectors, Belle Woolverton, and her ex-Enforcer, Adam de Beaumont, more commonly known by his title as “the Beast”. My father was a rich young man once destined for great things, but he grew spoiled and lazy, believing that he did not have to work for what Sibyl envisioned for him. As his selfishness worsened and he began to take drugs and drink excessively, his Psycho Pass clouded over. Just when he was about to be incarcerated in the Isle of the Lost, Sibyl granted him a way out.

It judged him suitable to be an Enforcer, and for years, my father served the PSB as one of them. Enforcers, unlike Inspectors, are latent criminals, and their job is to serve an Inspector and do most of the dirty work - tracking targets, understanding the minds of fellow criminals to predict their moves, and even killing them. After all, that kind of work might cloud the Inspector’s Psycho Pass, so someone else is brought in to shoulder the burden.

However, defying Sibyl’s expectations, my father’s Psycho Pass eventually recovered so remarkably, he was allowed to serve as an Inspector instead of an Enforcer. He was the very first case of his kind, and I am sure he will not be the last.

That is why, when Sibyl judged me suitable for every job in Auradon, including top jobs in slots like the PSB, Public Investment Bureau and three of the top companies in Auradon, I ultimately decided to be an Inspector, just like my mother. Because if she could help my father, then somehow, I might be able to save someone too, touch the heart of a latent criminal and bring them back to good.

Of course, life is never that straightforward. I thought I would have a nice, simple detective job, working alongside my Enforcers and befriending them, but life had other ideas. On my first day of work, I had to report at short notice at 1:18am, due to an emergency at the other end of the city that required urgent attention.

A crowd of concerned looking people were gathered outside a bar, which was blocked by those weirdly cuddly drones of the PSB’s. Inside, a familiar-looking middle aged woman was talking to a hassled-looking old man, her arms crossed. She was wearing the dark blue jacket of the PSB, which meant she was most probably my new superior.

“This is the Criminal Investigation Department of the Public Safety Bureau. Access to the building has been restricted for safety.” Mechanically, the drones were repeating their warnings, though no one really seemed to be listening. “All neighborhood residents are advised to evacuate the area. I repeat… This is the Criminal Investigation Department of…”

“I-Inspector Beaumont, reporting!” Nervously, I presented my identity card to the nearest drone, who paused for a moment before cheerfully welcoming me in by name. Whew, I have been officially included into the system after all, even though I have only been officially hired for like an hour and twenty minutes.

Just as I stumbled awkwardly into the closed-off area, the woman turned around and greeted me with an amused smile. “Good morning, Ben.”

“M-Mrs Perrault!” My girlfriend’s mother was an Inspector? Why hadn’t she mentioned it before?

“ _Inspector_ Perrault at work, Ben,” she corrected, tossing me a similar blue Inspector’s jacket. Turning back to the old man, she warned, “Please get to a safe place while we handle this.”

As the old man scampered off, a giant black paddy wagon came barreling in. There was no visible driver, not even a window, yet it was turning corners at high speed with the expertise of a famous, experienced racer. Inspector Perrault placed a hand on my shoulder as she saw my jaw drop.

“Get used to it, sweetie,” she said warmly, approaching the wagon as it opened up. “Also, don’t think that these people are humans just like us, Ben. These are latent criminals, and if they weren’t needed to hunt down their fellow filth, they would be thrown back in the Isle of the Lost to rot.”

“They are nothing but hunting dogs,” Inspector Perrault continued, her voice cold and hard, “I advise that you keep your guard up around them.”

Just as she finished, the Enforcers filed out of the van, one by one. The first was a tall, muscular boy who would’ve given the Sibyl-approved football star of my school a run for his money. As required of the agents of the PSB, he was dressed formally, in a dark red suit jacket, black pants and a white dress shirt, though the top two buttons were undone. A blue tie hung limply around his neck, as if he had slipped it on as an afterthought.

Behind him was a girl with dark blue hair, with a perfectly tailored navy blue suit jacket over a white dress shirt, and a blue skirt just pushing the limit on how short it could be without breaking regulations. Her tie was a pretty gold color, with a little ruby heart pin or something clipped on to the side, and the heels on her shoes look like they could kill.

Right behind her was a girl with purple hair and the most piercing green eyes I had ever seen. She wore a white dress shirt under a purple suit jacket, which had some sort of green heart pattern on the back, and black skinny jeans that were probably also pushing regulations.

Finally, a small boy with silver hair walked out behind her, in a black two piece suit with a red tie. He looked awfully young and sweet for a latent criminal, with a freckled baby face and dark eyes that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a puppy.

 _They are the Enforcers of my team? But they look so young - they probably aren’t any older than I am!_ I was stunned, I never thought that somebody my age would already be an experienced detective and a latent criminal.

“Hounds, this is your new owner, Inspector Benjamin Florian de Beaumont. I expect you to obey him well,” Inspector Perrault’s voice snapped me from my thoughts, and I smiled nervously at the four of them.

“Nice to meet you.”

The taller boy raised an eyebrow and smirked, but no one else reacted. Clapping my shoulder, Inspector Perrault told me to ready myself, because things could get rough.

At that, a smaller cart rolled out, opening up to reveal six Dominators neatly lined up. Like any other potential Inspector, I was trained in using them, though I had never shot a person with it and did not really want to.

As I stared, they armed themselves with startling familiarity, moving behind Inspector Perrault like a well-oiled machine. Rushing to pick my jaw off the floor, I approached the remaining Dominator, nervously reaching out to touch it.

_“Activating Dominator Portable Psychological Diagnosis and Suppression System. User authentication: Benjamin Florian de Beaumont, Public Safety Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department. Dominator usage: Approved. You are a valid user.”_

Hearing Sibyl’s voice directly in my head would take some getting used to, and as I stumbled cautiously after them, Inspector Perrault raised one hand.

“Our target is Damien Flynn. He was flagged by a street scanner two hours ago, and has been on the run since. His Psycho Pass is dark green,” she explained, showing a holographic image of a blond, normal-looking young man. “Apparently, he’s got a child with him as a hostage.”

At the word _child_ , everyone tensed up, surprisingly. According to all the textbooks and papers I have read, latent criminals do not really have any morals. They would hurt children and animals without flinching, it said, that was why the Sibyl System decided the world was better without them. Are they acting, or are they just barely latent criminals or something? Why are they not behaving the way they should be?

“Hound 1, Hound 4, you’re coming with me. Hounds 2 and 3, take care of Ben.”

With that, she headed off, the purple haired girl and the bigger boy plunging fearlessly into the building after her. Confused, I lowered my gun, wondering if I should ask them what was going on, and what they recommended I do. While I was their superior, they were much more experienced than I was, and I needed all the help I could get.

“What are your orders?” The smaller boy asked, looking somewhere at my shoulders, as if he did not dare meet my eyes.

“I… I’m new to this,” I admitted, the blue haired girl quirking an eyebrow at that, “So I have no idea. What would you suggest?”

They remained silent, watching me with what seemed to be heavy suspicion. Offering a shaky smile, I asked if they were alright with accompanying me into the building to search for our target; I couldn’t just sit around doing nothing all day.

“This is Hound 4,” a voice suddenly crackled in my ear, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. “I’ve spotted the target, third floor, second room.”

At that, I raced straight into the building, holding my Dominator as steady as I could manage, my footsteps ringing noisily through the empty entrance. Like shadows, the two Enforcers followed soundlessly behind me.

“This is Shepherd 1, what is the status of the hostage?” Inspector Perrault’s voice was strained, reminding me of how important the mission was.

A loud cry echoed through the building, and he replied, “If we wait any longer, the kid’s gone.”

While they talked, I rushed up the stairs, ignoring the warning looks from the other Enforcers. Rolling her eyes, the blue haired girl followed after me, while the silver haired boy slipped out a window and swung over to another wall.

“Hound 4, enga-”

Just as she gave the order, the girl and I arrived on the third floor, our target screaming when he spotted us. Cursing, the taller boy sprung from his hiding place in the shadows of a nearby doorway, gun at the ready.

The Dominator swiftly changed modes - Lethal Eliminator, if I was not mistaken, and my heart nearly came to a stop. Sibyl… why did Sibyl decide that this young man was no longer required in the world? All he did was get flagged by a street scanner… but he did go on to kidnap and threaten a young child. Maybe Sibyl was right, he did have it in him to commit a heinous crime.

“Don’t move!” Flynn shouted, brandishing a knife and pressing it to the little girl’s neck, “Put your guns down, or I’ll kill this little shit!”

“Please, this doesn’t have to end in bloodshed,” I pleaded, trying to step toward him with my arms raised.

“I said don’t move!” He whirled to face me, a trickle of blood beginning to roll down the sobbing child’s skin, “Put the gun down!”

The blue haired girl shrugged and put her Dominator on the ground, the bigger boy following his lead. In my ear, Inspector Perrault was screaming for a status update, but I decided to shut up and trust them, dropping my own gun.

“Kick them over!”

I gulped - should I put one of the most dangerous weapons in the world into the hands of a latent criminal? I should be fine, since the Dominator will lock the trigger at my low Crime Coefficient, but how about my Enforcers?

Without a moment’s hesitation, the blue haired girl kicked her gun over, and the moment the man let go of the child to grab for it, a shot rang through the air.

That was the first time I had ever seen a Dominator in effect against a human being. His body swelled around the impact site, like a cancerous cell suddenly expanding, before exploding into a mess of blood and flesh.

The child shrieked.

“Great shot,” the boy picked up his Dominator with a grin, and I finally noticed the purple haired girl from before standing at the other end of the hallway.

_When did she get there?_

While I stood, stunned and frankly a little nauseous, the blue haired girl rushed to the screaming child, allowing her to cling to her skirt and cry. Softly, she whispered some words to the child, who slowly began to calm down. Once again, she wasn't behaving like a latent criminal should, was she just pretending to make me lower my guard around her?

“Hound 2, get away from her!”

At the sound of Inspector Perrault’s voice, the blue haired girl snapped away, startling the little girl. Striding over, she grabbed the child by the hand and told her that she would be taken to a hospital immediately for therapy.

Once again, the child’s lips began to tremble, but she didn’t seem to notice. It was strange, I never knew Audrey’s mother to be cold towards children, or to rip a crying one away from somebody who was comforting it. Why was she so snappy around her subordinates?

“Latent criminals can be contagious,” she growled, glaring at her Enforcers with what could only be described as pure hatred. Collecting herself, she met the child’s eyes and said, “You will be fine, little one. We will get you some real, good help, and you’ll be back home before you know it.”

Calmed down, she was a completely different person, fussing over the child as we returned to the paddy wagon. She did not acknowledge the Enforcers at all, not even thanking them for their hard work or congratulating the purple haired girl on her clean shot. They did not seem particularly bothered by her behavior, though, as if they had long grown accustomed to being treated like second-class citizens, as if they had been latent criminals for ages.

As the adrenalin slowly wore off in the car, I realized why the blue haired girl had been so sure about kicking her Dominator to our target. It was one of the first things a potential Inspector learned in training, that a Dominator’s trigger would lock if it was used by someone other than a valid, registered member of the PSB. How could I have forgotten that?

It seems like I have a lot to learn...

 

* * *

 

The next morning, at a more respectable hour, I wandered my way through the maze-like corridors of the PSB headquarters, searching for my unit. The complex was sprawling, with dozens of different unit offices, laboratories and even containment chambers for latent criminals brought in for questioning. It also had its own hospital, residential area and restaurant, a miniature city of its own.

Lost, I approached the nearest Inspector with a nervous bow, “E-excuse me, I’m new here, and I was wondering if you could tell me where Unit 102’s office is…”

“102?” the Inspector furrowed his brows, “Well, you must be one heck of a rookie to get into that unit. It’s just down the hall, second room on the right.”

One heck of a rookie? What does that mean, do unit numbers have some sort of rank-related meaning?

Seeing my confusion, the man laughed, “Unit 102 is informally recognized as the second-best in the PSB. You did a great job, son.”

“Ah!” Where was my manners, Mom would be beside herself in fury and embarrassment if she realized I had waited so long to introduce myself. “I’m Ben, Benjamin de Beaumont.”

“Beaumont, huh? Should have expected that,” he grinned, “The son of the legendary Inspector Belle and the infamous Beast has got to be impressive.”

“T-thank you,” I stuttered, hoping that I was not blushing to my ears. Mom warned me that people might pick on me for my parents’ legacy, might say that I got my position merely because Sibyl took their contributions into account, but I had not been expecting praise.

With a quick bow, I headed to my new office, taking a deep breath to ready myself before stepping inside.

Inspector Perrault was nowhere to be seen - probably because I was on duty alone for the first few hours of the day. According to my schedule, only three Enforcers should be on duty for my shift, but all four of them were sitting inside.

The taller boy was leaning back, reading a sports magazine, while the smaller boy was watching what looked like puppy videos on his computer. The two girls had brought their chairs back to back and were each buried in a book. The blue haired one was reading what looked like an advanced Chemistry textbook, while the purple haired one was buried in a scruffy black hardback without a title.

Interesting… I never thought latent criminals would do such _normal_ things. I was not exactly expecting them to be picking fights or stealing equipment but… Dad had said he was a wild thing as an Enforcer, and I had been readying myself for something similar. A shirtless menace jumping over tables, my mother had described him, and part of me had honestly been preparing for that.

“Hey, it’s the new guy!” the taller boy rose as I came up to them, putting a friendly hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t catch your name last night, took like, five minutes to say?”

I laughed nervously, hoping that it didn’t show, “Sorry about that. You can just, uh, call me Ben. It’s much easier.”

“Well, I’m Jay Jobrani and I’m off today, so I’ll take my leave before you rope me into work,” he said cheerfully, pushing past me and out into the hall. Just before the door closed, he threw a wink at me and flashed a familiar-looking wallet, adding, “Thanks for the treat.”

Startled, I grabbed at my pockets, surprised to find them empty. How and when did he do that, and why didn’t I feel anything? And wait, did he say Jobrani, as in… son of the Jafar Jobrani, a greedy businessman infamous for his shady dealings and underhanded methods? What was he doing here, working with the police?

“You won’t be getting that back until it’s empty,” the blue haired girl mumbled, not even bothered to look up from her book.

“Jay’s always like that,” the silver haired boy added, slowly looking up at me. “Nice to meet you, Inspector Ben. I’m Carlos de Vil.”

My eyes widened at the sound of his last name, and the purple haired girl glared at me like she would strangle me with my own tie if I so much as thought something she didn’t like. I had no idea that Cruella de Vil had a son, and definitely not that he was a latent criminal too. Not that it should be surprising, considering his parentage, but there was no proof that a high Crime Coefficient was hereditary...

Shaking the thoughts from my head, I offered Carlos my hand with my warmest greeting. He stared at it warily for a few awkward seconds, eyes darting between me and the door, looking a lot like a cornered animal. Suddenly, the blue haired girl snapped her book shut and stalked up to me, taking my hand and meeting my gaze steadily.

“Evie Grimhilde. A pleasure.”

Grimhilde. Alright, the first two could have been a coincidence, but three? Was this team intentionally made of the descendants of infamous members of society? Were they gathered here to spite their parents in some way?

Queen Grimhilde was a well-known politician, rich and very famous, but like Jafar and Cruella, she had refused to take official Psycho-Pass scans for the past four years. Forcing someone to get scanned is not something we can do, and without being certain of their Hue or Crime Coefficient, Inspectors are not authorized to barge down their doors with a Dominator. Of course, everyone assumed that they will get caught by a street scanner at some point in their day like any normal person, but according to records, that was not the case. All three of them had not been measured by Sibyl for at least three whole years.

Realizing that I had been holding her hand for far too long, I turned a bright red, releasing it with a stuttered apology. Her dark eyes were glittering, as if she knew exactly what I had been thinking, and I found it extremely disconcerting to see eyes like that on someone who couldn’t be more than two years older than me.

“It’s my pleasure, Enforcer Grimhilde,” I finally choked out, shaking her hand a little too enthusiastically.

She raised an eyebrow but did not comment, instead turning to the purple haired girl and saying, “Shouldn’t you play nice and introduce yourself too?”

The girl sighed and looked up from her book, her eyes a striking shade of emerald that seemed to burn into my soul.

“Mal.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, I have returned with an update, surprisingly! (Probably because it's been raining all day and I can't be bothered to get an umbrella out, so I've been inside writing.)  
> This chapter has a slightly gruesome body discovery scene (for Disney kids, for Psycho Pass kids, I doubt anything will really faze you.) Please be careful!

_ Ben _

The rest of my first day seemed fairly uneventful, spent mostly writing up my report on how I blundered idiotically into the battlefield and nearly cost a hostage her life. It was really embarrassing to relive my stupidity in detail - they wanted a clear picture of how I had tried to surrender to a latent criminal, Dominator in hand, when they had a knife to a child’s throat.

Fortunately, all these things are strictly confidential, so even former PSB agents like Mom and Dad wouldn’t be able to legally grill me for any details of my first day. They would most probably be sorely disappointed, if they knew how badly I had messed up…

Did Sibyl make a mistake, classing me as suitable for an Inspector position? The Ministry of Welfare had other, less hands-on roles I would probably make less of a mess in. Or had they assigned me on the assumption that I would behave like Inspector Perrault - a dog walker, leaving most of the dangerous work to my Enforcers?

At two in the afternoon, Inspector Perrault came in to take her shift, as well as give me my lunch break. Jay returned shortly after her, flashing me a taunting smile, but I decided not to be a tattletale and let him get away with my wallet.

It probably was not a professional thing to do to tell on him, I thought; it would have looked like I was a schoolboy running to his teacher. There was no way latent criminals would respect a boy like that, and if I did not have their respect, my job would be awfully difficult.  


“Audrey asked me to bring you this,” Inspector Perrault said as she walked by my station, dropping a cardboard box onto my table, “I promise I didn’t open it, sweetie.”

Trying not to turn bright red with mortification, I squeaked out a thank you and tucked the box under my arm. What was Audrey thinking, asking her mother to pass a gift along? Was she trying to put a “claimed” sticker on my forehead in front of my coworkers? Did she think I would be chased by other women, that I would cheat?  


Evie raised an eyebrow as she passed me, probably in amusement, grabbing hold of Mal’s hand and dragging her out the door. Just in case, I checked myself over for any missing valuables before heading out after them, though without my wallet, I did not have much of worth to steal. Fortunately, it seemed the only one with sticky fingers was Jay.

Even though I was out the door barely three seconds after them, they were already gone, as if they had magically vanished into thin air. I wanted to try speaking to them, especially to Mal, since she was the only one who didn’t introduce herself by her full name. I could just dig in the official records, I supposed, but it didn’t seem like a nice, colleague-like thing to do. Did she not like her name, and how was I supposed to refer to her in formal reports, where full names were required? I supposed I could just leave it to Inspector Perrault to enter her full name when she checked it over, but would it seem incompetent of me to not know my own subordinate’s name?

Also, what do latent criminals do in their time off? I had never seen any Enforcers out, off-duty, in the streets before, did they blend into the shadows or something? Or did they have some sort of special, latent criminal hangout spot where they all gathered? And where did they live, to never be spotted on public transport or walking down the road? Or did they just cover up their telltale latent criminal monitoring bracelets when they were outside of HQ?

Absorbed in my thoughts, I did not notice someone was beside me until I was tapped in the shoulder, nearly dropping Audrey’s gift in my surprise.

“Whoa, relax, Ben! It’s me, Chad!” Raising his arms, my ex-classmate gave me an easygoing grin. “Nice to see you got accepted too.”

“Chad, you’re in the PSB too?” My eyes widened; as a child, he had long been preselected as a full-time athlete. Did his scores impress Sibyl so much that they opened more doors for him at the end of his schooling?

“Yeah, Unit 307. Not quite as high up as you,” he clapped me on the back, “102, the hot young blood of the PSB. Sibyl really thinks well of you.”

I flushed, “Maybe Audrey’s mother just wanted to keep an eye on me.”

He laughed, giving me a look that clearly said  _ you poor, hen-pecked bastard _ . “Sounds like something Audrey would try to set up. She’s very possessive of her Benny-boo.”

“Oh please, not you too,” I groaned; the childish nickname Audrey gave me was not one I particularly liked, though I tolerated it for her sake.

Chad responded by laughing and telling me I was lucky that I had a girl who cared about me that much, but honestly, I would rather a girlfriend who trusted me enough to not ask her mother to spy on me. Did she think I would be chasing after my Enforcers, that the story of my father and mother would repeat with me?  


“Come on, Ben,” Chad clapped me on the back, “Let’s go find where the food is.”

I supposed it was not the best idea asking someone who had no idea what the layout of the building was to lead me, but it was fun enough to wander around the complex. It was huge, there was even a little arcade filled with old-school games that looked like they were probably older than my parents.

Having lunch with Chad felt almost like going back to senior high school, laughing with the football team after practice, some trying to avoid their cheerleader girlfriends. He hadn’t changed very much, not that I expected him to, we had graduated barely two months ago, and work had only just begun. Chad Charming was still the same, spoiled, ridiculously self-confident schoolboy that he was before. That past was so close, it was easy to fall back into, and I would have if I hadn’t watched somebody die in front of my eyes barely 12 hours ago.

“It’s pretty gruesome work,” Chad was saying, “Even though I’m just walking the dogs, I still have to see what they do to their prey. Or what their prey does to innocent people.”

It seemed Chad was like most of the other Inspectors in the building - not that I was surprised. Entry to the PSB was based not exactly based on intelligence but mental fortitude and a deeply-rooted faith in the Sibyl System. And self-confident, dull Chad was perfect for the role - he was too absorbed in himself to allow the job to affect his Psycho Pass too badly, and was not smart enough to question Sibyl’s judgment or rules. The actual investigations and dirty work were all left to the Enforcers, who all had to be quick-thinking, strong and crazy enough to understand other criminals yet sane enough to obey orders.

Before I was even halfway through my meal, my watch began to ring - Inspectors were all given a communication device shaped like a watch that resembled the Enforcers’ latent criminal tag, though it was colored blue instead of plain silver. Chad’s did the same barely two seconds later, and we shrugged as we pushed away our unfinished meals and got to our feet.

“Man, they’re worse slavedrivers than coach,” Chad grumbled as we headed out the door to find a private space to answer our calls. “At least he let us eat.”

It was from Mrs- I mean Inspector Perrault, and the moment Chad was out of sight, I quickly picked up, a holographic image of her face appearing before me.

“We have an emergency in Auradon Central Park,” her face was grim, “Get down to the garage, we’re moving immediately.”

“U-Understood!”

 

* * *

_ Mal _

 

I sighed as I looked at the Emergency Mobilization notice flashing on my bracelet - yes,  we’re latent criminals and all, but some of us would appreciate more than four hours of sleep. I wondered if I could get away with ignoring the order - the worst they could do was put a Paralyzer in the base of my spine again, and that would give me at least 6 hours of undisturbed rest…

“Mal, you better not be considering taking a bullet again,” Evie called out from the loft, which we had repurposed into a makeshift studio.

“What if we’re being mobilized to evacuate old people again?” I whined; the last time, we had been woken at 2:15 in the morning to carry sick old people out of their nursing home. Some desperate relative of theirs had set the building on fire for the insurance, and instead of going after the bastard like the hunting dog I was, I was stuck with elderly people who would rather bash my skull in with their walking sticks than let me save their worthless lives.

She sighed, grabbing my wrist and tugging with a pout, “Even so, you’d be spending time with me, outside of this cage. Please?”

“Ugh, fine!” I rolled my eyes, getting to my feet and snagging my jacket with one finger. “Let’s go see what Perrault wants us to bark at now.”

Trying to ignore what Evie’s happy little laugh did to my insides, I stormed down to the Enforcers’ garage and up the ramp of the paddy wagon, flopping into my spot with my arms crossed. My eyelids felt as if they were being weighted down, ruining my usual, picture-perfect glare.

It helped to be known as the grumpy one, as it meant that I could default to frosty silence even though the truth was my brain had just short-circuited because, well, Evie. Just look at her, it totally wasn’t fair how gorgeous she was. Not that I really noticed, no, I just… looked sometimes.

“Got caught napping again, Mal?” Jay laughed, patting my shoulder with a sympathetic grin.

“At least you weren’t in the shower,” Carlos huffed; he looked like he hadn’t even bothered drying himself before putting his clothes on. Water dripped from him and pooled in the creases of the fake leather seat, spilling out onto the metal floor.

I chuckled a little at that, “Better you than Jay.”

“Hey,” Jay smirked at the memory, “It isn’t my fault I look so good without a shirt.”

“I thought Perrault was going to have an aneurysm,” Evie laughed, the sound making my stomach flip like a grounded fish.

_ Perrault, think about Perrault, Mal!  _ Damn, the look on that pampered princess’ face was priceless when Jay plunged, shirtless and glistening wet, out of the paddy wagon in downtown Auradon. I had no idea if she was enjoying the view, or if she wanted to strangle Jay with his bootlaces for such an obvious protocol violation. To be honest, I just thought she should be grateful that he decided to put on some pants.

“Was the Paralyzer worth it?” Carlos asked.

“Oh, definitely,” Jay grinned, raising a hand toward me and whooping as I returned his high-five. “Not only did I get to watch Perrault’s blood pressure shoot up, I got a straight 8 hours’ sleep.”

I nodded in agreement, “Nothing helps you sleep better than a Paralyzer to the spine.”

“Way faster and cheaper than pills, too,” Jay added, putting on his best salesman voice.

Evie rolled her eyes, gently elbowing my side with a huff. I didn’t really know why, but she always visited me when I was hospitalized due to a Paralyzer in the ass, despite the fact that it had happened a few hundred times over our three years of service. Apparently, it was a record of some sort, and most of the other Enforcers were terrified of me.

A couple of minutes later, our mobile prison came to a halt, dozens of bolts sliding open as we were spat out to whatever field that needed sniffing. It was Auradon Central Park - fancy statues, artificial golden trees, benches that look like they were designed to be as pretentious as possible, and a dead body.

Jay whistled as we got out of the wagon, and honestly, I understand why. It was a pretty clean kill, there was no blood anywhere and the killing blow had been pretty well concealed - there was wax over the corpse’s throat, so I assumed there was a gaping wound under it. The man’s mouth had been stretched wide open, his balls cut off and stuffed inside, and, walking around the body, I could see that his dick had been stuffed up his ass.

Evie quickly covered Carlos’ eyes, not that it could erase the sight from his mind. A huge part of me was pretty glad I didn’t elect to take the Paralyzer - now this was prey worth hunting, and I was definitely interested.

“Finally, a real murderer,” Jay grinned, slowly circling the body, “What have we got here, Inspector?”

“A serial killer,” she said flatly, distaste clear on her face, “Or so we assume. This is the fourth body found in this way, and we are assuming the killings are connected. As for how… we have yet to figure that out.”

“Of course,” I deadpanned, “Using one’s brains is a dog’s job.”

Before Perrault could freak out at my comment, or possibly threaten me with the Dominator, the new boy cut in, “You said it was a serial killer, Inspector Perrault?”

She took a deep breath and nodded, “We’ll bring our evidence back to base once we finish investigations, and I’ll get Hound 5 to bring up the other files. 307 has yet to pass them over.”

Ben turned pale at the mention of Unit 307, before turning to Jay and asking, “So, uh, what do you think?”

“My expert diagnosis is that he was murdered,” Jay said with mock seriousness, going as far as to put on a proper accent.

The boy blushed, probably not used to people not tripping over themselves to answer him. A golden child of Sibyl… his life must be amazing, to have all doors thrown wide open and no walls, chains or bars keeping him down.

Walking up to the body, I narrowed my eyes as I pinched the skin - unnaturally cold and hard, and very dry. The body wasn’t preserved with drugs, those had a telltale, sickly-sweet smell; it had most likely been bled dry and flash-frozen.

Evie sent Carlos off to check the perimeter for clues along with the drones before joining us, bending down to take a closer look at the twisted feet of the corpse. It had been secured to a heavy marble base, and from the look of it, it was not cheap or easy to obtain.

“Jay, could you tilt it a little for me?” Evie called out, beckoning him over.

He frowned and shrugged, “Sure, but why?”

“If it’s from an official company, the base will have a stamp on it,” Evie explained, eyebrows furrowed, “If we know the company’s name, we can track whoever bought these recently and access their recent Hue-checks.”

“Then we’d probably get our suspect,” Jay grinned, “Damn, no wonder you’re the brains of this operation, E.”

“It’s good that you know it,” she smirked, flipping her hair and my stomach at the same time.

_ Focus, Mal. Feelings are a weakness, and Sibyl be damned, I will not let them get in the way of a good hunt. _

Obediently, Jay picked up the body without a moment’s hesitation, as if it were nothing but a toy. From afar, it could easily be mistaken as a very distasteful art piece (or very tasteful, depending on who you were), which meant some big equipment was involved. While a layman could attempt a flash-freeze by hacking a refrigerator, it would not be as clean as this.

“Vincenta Industries,” Evie read with a satisfied grin on her face, taking a quick photograph to submit as evidence later, “We have a very rich serial killer on our hands.”

“As if flash-freezing wasn’t pricey enough,” I mumbled, half to myself; whoever our prey was, he was not going to be easy to track. He had connections or a truckload of money, most likely both, and those types of people could disappear even from Sibyl’s ever-watchful eye.

This was going to be a fun hunt, I was finally going after something that had enough bite to fight back. Chasing rabbits could only be so entertaining, after all, it was time to go after the bears and the lions.

“We have an ID on the victim,” Perrault shouted, our watches beeping in unison as she forwarded the information. “Alexander James, 34 years old, authorized football player. He was last flagged by a street scanner in Barcombe.”

Barcombe, huh? We had a party person on our hands, which was rather surprising considering how clear his Hue was. Alcohol and a clear Psycho Pass did not go well together, though I suppose there were some exceptions. Not that I really cared, I’d rather spend my pocket change on good paint or quality paper than a bottle of beer or whatnot.

Carlos came running back with the drones just as Jay had set the body back down, averting his gaze pointedly from it as he said, “We’ve swept the perimeter, no traces of blood. Whoever the perp is, he’s good.”

“He’s good prey,” Jay said, kicking the marble stand, “Takes one heck of a twisted, bloodthirsty bastard to do this.”

“Stinks of jealousy,” I added, “Maybe our prey’s insecure about his… size.”

We burst out laughing at that, much to Perrault’s disapproval, though there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. She was a pretty crappy handler, all things considered, since she couldn’t even manage us without putting a bullet in one of our spines at least once every four missions, and the PSB would really rather if their Inspectors kept shooting their own to a minimum.

“Are we done here?” Perrault snapped.

“Wait, that’s it? Don’t we have to, you know, look around?” Ben asked, looking very confused - had he not been paying attention in his classes? Or did Sibyl not inform him that the extent of his job was to point his gun at the base of our skulls and let us do the work?

Perrault cleared her throat, looking rather disappointed, “The dogs do it for us, Benjamin dear. All we need to do is ensure they behave.”

As she tried to explain the specifics of their job to the new boy, I crossed my arms and started to think. What kind of criminal would have the ability to make such public killings without raising a single Area Stress Level? To be capable of such a gruesome crime, he had to have a Psycho Pass in the 400s, and that alone would raise the Level to at least a Yellow.

Did he avoid all the street scanners? If you planned carefully enough, it was relatively possible to go from one end of Auradon to another without being caught by a single one. However, you needed a sizable amount of information for that, and if he could access that…

He would probably have contacted either my mother or one of her many goons.

She controlled the widest criminal network in Auradon, with lackeys scattered across the kingdom, from the alcohol-filled streets of Barcombe to the deepest cells of the Isle. If this serial killer was working under her, it would explain everything he had - the high quality materials, the ability to kill, prepare his work and display it unseen and the equipment to cleanly prepare the bodies.

However… my mother had been laying low for years, biding her time. What made her think that now was the right moment, when her politicians were still under intense scrutiny and her businessmen were still distrusted? What had changed to set the wheels in motion, what was going to happen in Auradon?

Whatever the answer is, it would not be something I’d like...


End file.
